1. |
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2. |
Troubling Signs
06:06
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Nothin's in my stomach,
Nothin's in my coat.
The air that's in my pockets
Is all that's keepin' me afloat.
Keepin' me afloat,
Keepin' me afloat--
Thin air is keepin' me afloat.
It's a troublin’ sign.
Baby's got nobody
Since they sent her mama home.
Back across the border,
Now her baby's all alone.
Baby's all alone,
Baby's all alone--
Mama's baby's all alone.
It's a troublin' sign.
Daddy works a double,
John boy breaks a leg,
Can't afford no doctor,
So they fit him for a peg.
Fit him for a peg,
Fit him for a peg--
Lifetime of walking on a peg.
It's a troublin' sign.
Gather up those profits.
The market’s doing fine.
A billion going hungry
While we're poisoning the sky.
Poisoning the sky,
Poisoning the sky--
Poison's raining from the sky.
It's a troublin' sign.
Earned my education--
It's a bitter victory,
‘Cause part of debtor nation
Is all I’m gonna be,
All I’m gonna be,
All I’m gonna be.
Mountain of debt’s gonna bury me.
It's a troublin' sign.
Mama she done told me,
Daddy told me too,
Don't you worship money boy
It ain't no good for you!”
Ain't no good for you,
Ain't no good for you
Don't you trade your future for no I - O - U
It's a troublin' sign.
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3. |
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I tell ya’ I’ve been down a time or two,
But I’ve always scraped my own way back.
‘Cause I’ve had them cards dealt to me
Every which way they could be stacked.
But y’all heard that song before.
I sang it first when I lived it myself,
Sang it twice livin’ off someone else,
Now I find myself singin’ it all the time!
But y’all heard that song before.
Well ever since man started taking root,
He’s been looking for answers in the sky.
He always seems to put his faith in someone
Telling him how to act and why—
‘Cause he heard the song before.
He sang it first when he Saved himself.
Sang it twice tryin’ to Save someone else.
Now he’s singin’ to sell it one more time.
But y’all heard that song before.
So listen,
Listen for Heaven’s sake.
Oh, listen,
And sing when you awake!
Well, they tell us we’re all spinning fast--
Across vast space, dark, cold, and mean.
We always seem to lose our faith in those
Who reason with what we’ve seen,
‘Cause we heard that song before!
They sang it first in epiphany,
Sang it twice teachin’ others how to see--
I tell you, it’s worth listenin’ one more time!
But y’all heard that song before!
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4. |
Better Off Dead
04:48
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I got three bottles on the floor there, baby.
Three bottles on the floor.
I got three bottles on the floor there, baby,
And I’m suckin’ down number four!
‘Cause maybe I’m better off dead,
Maybe I’m better off dead
Than let you do all those awful things you done to me.
Oblivion, sweet release!
Oblivion, sweet release--
Drowned by the tears of a broken and cheated heart.
I got one knife in my back, baby,
Two knives in my back.
Three knives, five knives, ten knives, a thousand—
How many before I lose track?
Maybe I’m better off dead.
Maybe I’m better off dead
Than let you say all those awful things you said to me!
Oblivion, sweet release!
Oblivion, sweet release--
Cut a million times and strangled by a thoughtless tongue.
I’ve got one problem left to solve there, baby.
One problem left to solve.
I’ve got one problem left to solve there, baby,
I’m afraid that you’re involved!
‘Cause maybe you’re better off dead,
Yeah, maybe you’re better off dead
Than get your way with another unsuspecting man!
Oblivion, sweet release!
Oblivion, sweet release--
Freed from the bonds of a dark and crumbling soul.
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5. |
Love And The Hard Sell
05:58
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Old number Ninety-Nine,
Rollin down the track.
Listen to the Brakeman moan,
A million miles to where he's goin'.
At night he's all alone--
It's lovin' that he lacks,
He never had the knack
Now, you can hear the Princess hammering
Inside her garden wall,
Where she nails her lover's hearts
To a cross that falls apart.
She always thought that she would be
The smart one in the end,
But love refused to bend.
The Princess, she just adored
The ornaments she used.
Hats and shoes and ruby lips,
Soon her lovers wings were clipped,
She never made a slip,
But she never had a clue
Which one was the fool.
Love and the hard sell--
Keep your secrets well.
The code of broken hearts--
Gilded mirror ever close at hand,
Freshen your disguise
And never take the stand
Nighttime finds the Princess
Up in Chinatown,
Where she gets her kicks for free,
Lit up like a Christmas tree.
The men there all agree
The Princess has the crown,
But they never stayed around.
One fine day, the Ninety-Nine
Came rollin' into town.
The Princess she was at the bar,
The Brakeman saw a shooting star,
The night lit up with sparks,
As she drank him to the ground.
The Brakeman stayed around.
The next day, the Princess
Brought a motion to the floor.
She pulled a contract from her sack,
The Brakeman signed it, gave it back,
Closed the deal and down the track,
Together but alone,
Both of them lookin' for a home.
Love and the hard sell--
Keep your secrets well.
The code of broken hearts--
Gilded mirror ever close at hand,
Freshen your disguise
And never take the stand.
The Princess and the Brakeman,
They signed their names in blood.
She thought he was there to serve,
He’s just eyein’ up her curves,
Neither thought the other one
Was doin' what they should,
Both of them drownin' in the flood.
Soon enough, the Brakeman
He became a ramblin man.
The Princess, she went cold with doubt,
The Brakeman couldn't live without
Her gentle touch to fade away
Was more than he could stand!
The flood had breached the dam.
The Princess and the Brakeman,
They lived their lives in sin.
The narrow love they'd settled for,
Shook ‘em both down to the core,
Victims of un-civil war,
The fight was wearin' thin!
And so became the end.
Love and the hard sell
Never pair so well.
But, you can save yourself!
When your day turns upside down,
Can't escape the highway
Running from the hounds,
Not a single deal left to make in Chinatown.
It pays to give away what you want to have around.
It pays to give away what you want to have around
It pays to give away what you want…
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6. |
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Stars above,
There ain't nobody who can break our love.
Not even livin’ in a world aflame
We call by different names
Precious time,
A little thinner moving down the line.
So, punch a ticket every single day
Before it rolls away.
No story in a movie show
lived vicariously
Can take the place of the highs and lows--
How living's made to be
Hurricane,
A foisted melancholy on your brain,
imploring missives from a creeping hoard
To strike a perfect chord.
You know it’s hard to hear,
And every stumble that you meet with fear
Becomes a dissonance so hard to play
We call by different names.
Strike a rhythm for the jubilee,
Shining under the stars.
Go be anything you want to be,
But you have to start right now.
Build a plan,
For every woman, every child, and man,
A vision big enough for everyone
To sail off to the sun.
Every day,
Come on and tell us what you've got to say.
Go on and help us all to understand
The prize that’s close at hand.
Don't forget to feed that fire.
Pump that bellows hard.
Add a little bit of style and grace,
And dream your dream out loud
Stars above,
There ain't nobody who can break our love.
Not even livin’ in a world aflame
We call by different names.
Think of me,
And all the perfect ways you want to be.
You’re gonna see that we are both the same,
Just called by different names,
Just called by different names,
Just called by different names.
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7. |
Another Sad Guitar
05:47
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I had a dream
That haunted me last night.
You know it seemed so real.
I was alone,
Lost inside the dark,
And I could not break free.
I opened my eyes,
Expecting to awake.
Instead, I'm in a hole.
Then, looking up,
And seeing what's at stake,
I knew I had to hold on.
To another sad guitar,
It's quicksand where we are,
Better run or it'll leave a scar.
It's another sad guitar,
It's a shadow in a wishing jar,
It's not gonna take us far.
You wake up some days--
There is no sun--
The world can feel so cold.
Say shake it off,
But it's easier said than done.
This heartbeat's oversold.
There was a time
When I knew true love.
You know, when two hearts sing?
Then in a flash
That love was gone.
I knew I had to hold on.
To another sad guitar,
It's quicksand where we are,
Better run or it'll leave a scar.
It's another sad guitar,
It's a shadow in a wishing jar,
It's not gonna take us far
This morning, looking for a
Mask to wear.
The old one's showing quite some
Wear and tear.
They say to build new castles
In the air.
They never tell ya how to
Get them there.
Deep in the night,
Inside our dreams,
Our secret fires burn.
Unblocking the light
So it can burst the seams,
And let the engine turn.
Breach the divide
Of nighttime into day--
Gravity it pulls so strong!
Weighing us down,
Pushing us away from each other,
Feels like we don't belong.
There’s just one thing I need
On this here fine day--
Even if the sun don't shine--
And that's to see
Your smilin’ face comin' my way.
Together, you and I will ride this world!
On another fine guitar,
It's right here where we are,
It's a light from a different star.
It’s another fine guitar,
It’s a penny in a wishing jar,
It's all we need to take us far,
It's all we need to take us far,
It’s another fine guitar.
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8. |
Miracle Cure
04:16
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Well, they say the rich are getting richer,
The gap between us getting wider.
Babe, I’d like to take you out on the town,
But I find my pockets keep getting lighter!
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
Isn’t there some miracle cure?
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
‘Cause I could use a dose for sure.
Jihadi John was a righteous man,
In his heart he was a holy fighter.
Over here, we got a lot just like him,
Only their God’s just a little bit whiter.
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
Isn’t there some miracle cure?
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
‘Cause we could use a dose for sure.
Well, the kids today, they don’t like to math,
But the phone in their pocket keeps getting smarter.
A blip, a ping, and a rush of words--
Oddly, conversation keeps getting harder!
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
Isn’t there some miracle cure?
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
‘Cause they could use a dose for sure.
It could be the microwaves in the air,
Could be the politicians who don’t care,
Could be the things we’re told to fear,
Could be the additives in your beer…
But the doctors say living’s killing me dead,
Something out there’s gonna to bring me to my knees.
They’re lining up to lend me a hand,
There’s just the matter of some insurance fees.
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
Isn’t there some miracle cure?
Don’t they make a pill for this?!
‘Cause I could use a dose for sure.
Oh yeah, we make a pill for that!
It’s the latest Miracle Cure!
Oh yeah, we make a pill for that,
And you could use a dose for sure!
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9. |
Less and Less
03:33
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I try to travel around with less and less,
Tried them all and the simple way is the way that's best.
I save a lot of time not havin' to choose
What color shirt I wear or which pair of shoes.
I don't need the guitar to sing my song.
Wherever I land, I'll always get along
I've been up and down the road a time or two I guess
Now I try and travel around with less and less
I had a woman once--she was not my wife.
I took a long detour on the road of life.
I carried that weight and almost broke my back.
I nearly lost the ones I loved getting' back on track.
Wasted lots of time and I still feel the pain,
Made a vow that I won't go through that again.
I've been up and down the road a time or two I guess,
Now, I try to travel around with less and less.
Coffee in the mornin', a little wine at night,
A meal somewhere in the middle--I think I'll be alright.
I've got my pride, I got a smile to greet the day,
I got a friend or two to help me through when I lose my way.
Don't need the guitar to sing my song.
Wherever I land, I'll always get along.
I've been up and down the road a time or two, I guess.
Now I try to travel around with less and less.
I've been up and down the road a time or two, I guess.
Now, I try to travel around with less and less.
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10. |
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I’m gonna sit myself down for a drinkin’ session,
‘Cause this workin’ life has become an obsession.
Gonna pop off the cap, tilt my head back,
Let them good times get back on track.
At tomorrow’s end, I guess I’ll do it again.
Oh, Bud, you’re my only friend.
So I woke in the dark with a spinnin’ head.
Those tumblin’ thoughts kept me spinnin’ in my bed.
I shuffled to the left, rolled to the right.
It don’t look like sleep is in the cards tonight!
I put the water to the boil and the beans to the grind,
Oh, Joe, you’re my only friend.
I just can’t wait for that altered state.
Clear and sober?
Well, I’ve done it all over.
No, I just can’t wait for that sweet escape,
‘Cause normal ain’t normal no more.
Now I was strummin’ my guitfiddle and goin’ nowhere
My fingers weren’t singing, I was itchy in my chair.
This lack of inspiration is causin’ desperation.
I got demons in my head in need of expiration!
I take me a toke and drift away in the smoke.
Oh, Mary, you’re my only friend.
I just can’t wait for that altered state.
Clear and sober?
Well, I’ve done it all over.
No, I just can’t wait for that sweet escape,
‘Cause normal ain’t normal no more.
And how I pine for those simpler times,
When I was happy scratchin’ in the dirt!
My soul wasn’t worn out and covered in grime,
I just laughed with Ernie and Bert,
Ernie and Bert…
Well, my heart’s been sore before and bored to distraction.
Like oxygen for hydrogen, it yearns for attraction.
It won’t be settled ‘til the bond is bonded,
I guess it’s natural to want to be wanted,
But I’ve stopped lookin’, ‘cause I like what you’ve been cookin’!
Oh, baby, you’re my long-lost friend.
I just can’t wait for that altered state.
Worn and hungover?
Well, I’ve done it all over!
I just can’t wait for your sweet embrace,
‘Cause normal ain’t normal no more.
oh no, normal ain’t normal no more.
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11. |
Gotta Get Out Tonight
04:21
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Oh, Baby's upstairs with a head full of fever.
Dunno what's wrong and the doc don't either.
She's gotta move and I don’t wanna leave her,
So we're goin’ out tonight.
Used to have medicine to ease the pain.
Tried nearly everything to make it go away,
Spent alotta money, had the devil to pay,
Now we go out at night.
Searchin’ for a sound that’ll carry us away,
Get us all together at the end of the day.
Let's go together, we can meet halfway.
Can you come out tonight?
Came around the corner and what do I see?
Alotta folks feeling like she does.
I looked at her, and she at me--
Hey, everybody's out tonight.
Everybody's out tonight,
Everybody's out tonight.
Gonna dance till the morning light.
Everything's gonna be alright.
Some folks rollin’ down a hill of clover,
Some fightin’ others with a poker,
Some have a love they can never get over--
Everybody's out tonight.
Dancin’ in the dirt, ain't got no shoes
Singin' in the dark with the low down blues.
Sing along people, got nothin’ to lose!
It’s a good way to get alright.
Good way to get alright,
Good way to get alright.
Gonna Sing till the morning light.
It’s a good way to get alright.
Don’t you know you gotta sing?!
You gotta sing!
It's a good way to get alright.
It’s a good way to get alright,
Good way to get alright.
Gonna play till the morning light.
It’s a good way to get alright.
So take a look around, away from the mirror--
So many real eyes shimmerin'.
Never been darker and it’s never been clearer.
Everybody shine a light.
Off in the distance, you can hear thunder--
We've gotta care for each other.
She's your sister and he's your brother.
Everybody shine a light.
Everybody shine a light,
Everybody shine a light.
Everything be alright,
If everybody shines a light.
You know you gotta sing,
You gotta sing!
It's a good way to get alright.
You know you gotta sing,
You gotta sing!
It's a good way to get alright.
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12. |
Tom Petty's Dead
04:15
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Now, Tom Petty’s Dead.
It was a shock to my head.
How my heroes dissolve
And the music evolves.
I’m older and grayer than ever before.
So, here’s to new years,
Be they full of cheer.
‘Cause they come and go,
And they sure don’t slow.
You gotta live like you never lived before.
Live like you never lived before!
We were twenty-one
In the springtime sun.
In your purple dress,
You had no need to impress.
Your legs did all the talkin’ your lips could do!
The moment arrived
On the Fourth of July.
It hung in the air,
Like a dying flare,
As the rain came down like never before.
And our hearts beat like never before.
The years in between,
Seem just like a dream.
My eyes are still blue,
Bluer for you--
Baby, I’m more lonely than ever before.
Through the ebb and flow,
I can’t seem to let go.
How it could have been
If I’d just leaned in
And kissed you like never before!
And my heart beats never before!
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13. |
Get Hitched
05:17
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Leave the front and back door wide open.
I don't care, let the bugs on in.
It's the first cool night we've had in ages.
And tomorrow we gotta go to work again.
Sunday's come around, but the work ain't over.
The hatchet’s buried, and the evening is getting late.
There's a hound dog standing in the kitchen.
He begging for the food off of my plate.
Let's enjoy our company for a while
before we both have to hit the hay.
Let’s build ourselves a living room fire.
And, let's get married, darling, what do ya say?
Some folks will spend a week’s vacation
drinking all their troubles away.
We used to do the same--do you remember?
I remember most of those days…
People spend a lifetime tryin’,
figuring out which moves they wanna make.
Let's focus on what really matters to us--
You cook the beans, I'll grill the steaks.
And let's enjoy our company for a while
before we both have to hit the hay.
Let’s build ourselves a living room fire.
And, let's get married darling, what do ya say?
Let’s get married darling, what do ya say?
Let's get married today.
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Justin Sams Band Atlanta, Georgia
Since we began, our band has been focused on the serious and sober work of crafting the style and content of our music with care and with love. We hope our music will strike a chord inside you.
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